MOUNT VERNON — Hunter Brookover joined the ranks of the Mount Vernon Police Department on Tuesday in what Police Chief Robert Morgan called “a milestone in a young person’s life.”
Mayor Matt Starr administered the oath of office.
“You brought your family here, and this is your new family,” Starr said, gesturing toward the assembled officers and police chaplains.
“They’ve been through what you’re going to do.”
Starr said the department likes to bring special attention to swearing-in ceremonies because it is what he calls a holy moment.
“When you see somebody take an oath before God and their friends and family to serve and protect the community, that’s nobility in action,” he said. “So we applaud you for this. Welcome to the town here.”
Mount Vernon PD
Calls for October totaled 1,238. Of the nearly 80 crashes the department investigated, 57 were non-injury and 22 were with injury.
“Traffic stops over the last 30 days were 566,” Assistant Chief Andy Burns said. “A big chunk of that will be due to our dedicated traffic enforcement person.”
Upcoming activities include a Christmas event at the Woodward Opera House on Dec. 16. Recent activities include community involvement such as Trunk-or-Treat, PAK United events, and scenario-based training.
Lt. Rex Young coordinated the department’s annual training.
“That’s a program we’re really, really proud of,” Burns said. “He has received multiple awards for that, including the most recent one from the Attorney General’s Office.”
Officers from various law enforcement agencies participated, as well as observers ranging from media to elected officials and department heads.
The Dan Emmett Kennel Club donated $5,000 to the department, which will be used to add a third patrol canine to the ranks.
The department will also participate in the annual Cardinal Cluster at the Ohio State Fairgrounds in April 2025.
“It’s a national show that brings in people from all over,” Burns explained. “They’re going to have us showcase our two patrol canines during that time, and they’re also going to do a raffle for us. So we look to to maybe add further to that line item that will go toward that K-9 purchase.”
Burns said the department is awaiting news on several grant applications, including one for a training simulator.
Mount Vernon Fire
October’s 560 emergency incidents brings the department’s yearly total to 5,238. Chief Chad Christopher said if the pace continues, the department will be slightly over last year’s total.
“We don’t see those run numbers slowing down anytime soon,” he said.
On Tuesday, crew members presented a gift to fifth-grader Nettie Glaub at Dan Emmett Elementary School. Nettie won the poster contest for fire safety.
“If you were at our open house, you saw all the posters that the children did for us. They were all outstanding,” Christopher said.
The chief will send Nettie’s poster to the state fire marshal’s office as part of the statewide competition.
The department launched the annual Toys for Tots program.
“Every year, that’s a great success. The support of our community is unbelievable for that program,” Christopher said.
Other October activities include Trick-or-Treat and CPR training for Mount Vernon PD officers and other community members.
The chief reminded residents they are not allowed to burn leaves. Outside of the townships, the state’s burn ban (no burning between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.) is in effect October and November.
“At 6 p.m., the winds usually start to die down,” the chief explained. “The reason I’m bringing that up is because in the last couple of days, the last couple of weeks, we have been chasing a lot of wild land fires and open burning complaints in our surrounding townships.
“It’s been windy the last few days, so it’s not wise to be burning anything with this type of wind. It’s catching a lot of fields on fire.”
The new fire engine will come in December. Christopher said it will probably be in service sometime shortly after the first of the year.
Run totals for October were 560.
Administration
Mayor Starr said residents can still participate in Round 2 engagement for the Together Knox comprehensive plan update.
Residents can watch the recent Focus on the Future workshop on the Together Knox website. The site also features the findings and planning-level documents that showcase the data.
“This is a very deep in-depth analysis, the deepest that we’ve ever done in comprehensive planning,” the mayor said.
Now what the comprehensive plan steering committee needs is for citizens to review the principles and goals developed through Round 1 participation.
“We need people to weigh in on this,” Starr said. “Do you agree with this? What do you not agree with, and to what degree do you agree or disagree?
“We need for people to comment and tell us are we on the right track.”
Starr said the city invested $50,000 in addition to county and regional planning investments because the city wanted to have a more specific outlook in terms of the the city’s growth and how that is viewed from a city and county seat standpoint.
“It’s very important that people tune into this because we would really like to finish the data collection and have at least a first draft by the end of the year,” he said.
The goal is to present the plan to political entities and have them ratify it. Starr noted the comprehensive plan is a non-binding document.
“It doesn’t lock us into anything, but it does provide us direction in terms of being able to make decisions,” Starr said.
Annual budget
In other city news, officials are beginning the budget process. Starr said the goal is to adopt one budget rather than an interim budget this fall and a final budget early next year. This method eliminates the budget meetings the city historically holds in January.
Starr and Safety-service Director Tanner Salyers are meeting with department heads. Starr said various city council members are participating in the budget discussions.
He anticipates having a budget by Dec. 31.
